Carburetors



Aug. 10, 1965 G. 1. WAHNISH CARBURETORS 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed May 8, 1964 INVENTO George LWahHISFi may CARBURETORS Filed May 8, 1964 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 FIGA.

IN VEN TOR.

George Lwahnish di'zfomg United States Patent 3,199,847 CARBURETORS George I. Wahnish, 246 E. Plenty St, Long Beach, Cahf. Fiied May 8, 1964, See. No. 366,103 7 Claims. (Cl. 26135) This invention relates to carburetors such as used in connection with internal combustion engines or in other environments wherein the production of a highly combustible gas or vapor is required.

It is an object of the invention to provide a device of this character by which efficiency in the production of such gas or vapor is attained; by which effective carburetion is secured and elements of the mixture which are presently considered as waste, will be consumed in combustion.

It is an object of the invention to provide a device which will be economical in the consumption of the fuel and which will attain such an admixture of the gasoline and air that the resultant vapor or gas will be more readily combustible than at present and which will present many advantages apparent to those skilled in this art.

More particularly, the invention contemplates the provision of a rotative hygroscopic element which is rotated by suctional air flow attained by engine operation; said element being saturated by liquid fuel and having a part disposed in the path of the air flow so that the inflowing air will pick up the fuel from the saturated part of the hygroscopic element. The rotative element or so-called rotor, is provided with blades or fins so that in addition to providing a fuel supply for mixture with the incoming air, it also constitutes a mixture agitator and assures thorough mim'ng of the fuel and the air. Means are also provided on the rotor for constantly supplying the liquid fuel to the rotor.

With these and other objects to be hereinafter set forth in view, I have devised the arrangement of parts to be described and more particularly pointed out in the claims appended hereto.

In the accompanying drawings, wherein an illustrative embodiment of the invention is disclosed,

FIG. 1 is a vertical sectional view of a carburetor constructed in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a top plan view, with parts broken away to disclose construction;

FIG. 3 shows the rotor;

FIG. 4 is a sectional view, taken substantially on the line 44, looking in the direction of the arrows; and

FIG. 5 is an end view of the carburetor, as seen from the right of FIG. 1.

Referring to the drawings, 1 indicates generally the body of the carburetor, the same being provided with a bowl 2, divided by a vertical partition or wall 3 into a float chamber 4 and an additional fuel chamber 5. The float chamber 4 contains the conventional float 6 and needle valve 7, the latter being located in the inlet 8 through which the gasoline or other liquid fuel is supplied into the chambers 4 and 5 through piping 9 extending from a source of fuel supply. The float regulates the amount of fuel in the chambers 4 and 5 in the known manner. An aperture 16 is provided in the vertical partition 3 so that the fuel can flow into the fuel chamber 5 from the float chamber 4 to reach and be maintained at the same level as the fuel in the chamber 4.

The air passage and mixing chamber is indicated at 1-9, and the same is shown in simplified form, and without a venturi and other elements conventionally employed, in order to simplify the construction and clearly disclose the features of the present invention. At one end, the air passage 10 is provided with a choke valve 11 and at the opposite end with a butterfly throttle valve 12.

At 13 is shown a rotating element or rotor which, in the form shown, Consists of a cylindrical rod composed of a porous or hygroscopic material such as a suitable ceramic, said rotor being freely rotatable in a bearing or collar 14 fitted in a horizontal wall 15 within the fuel chamber 5.

The rotor 13 is provided at one end, or that which constitutes its top, with an enlarged head 17 which in the form shown is of mushroom shape, although it may be made in many other shapes and in various sizes. The rotor head 17 has its perimeter provided With radially projecting blades, fins or vanes, which may be formed integrally, if desired, with the head 17. The fins or blades, shown at 18, cause the rotative movement of the rotor by means of an air flow or stream created by the suction exerted through the air passage 10 by engine operation. At its opposite end, or at the lower end of the rotor there is provided an enlargement in the form of a flared or frusto-conical part from the outer surface of which extends radially projecting blades or wings 20. There is also provided on the interior of the frusto-conical enlargement 19, blades 21 which, when the rotor is in rotation, will cause the liquid fuel 24 in the chamber 5 to be forced up through an axial passage 23 provided in the rotor 13. The passage 23 is closed at the top of the rotor below the mushroom head, as shown in FIG. 1.

From the foregoing, the operation of the described device will be readily understood. The lower part of the rotor, including the flared end 19 thereof and the blades on said end, are constantly submerged in the liquid fuel 24 in the chamber 5, while the uper part or head 17 of the rotor is exposed above the fuel 24 and is disposed constantly in the path of the air stream through the passage 10. By the suction created by the piston movement of the engine to which the carburetor is attached, air will be drawn through the passage 10 in the direction indicated by the arrows in FIG. 1 and as the air passes through the passage 10 it impinges against the vanes or fins 18 of the rotor, causing the rotor to revolve in the bearing 14. When the rotor is thus revolved, its fins or blades 21? will churn or agitate the gasoline or other liquid fuel 24 in the fuel chamber 5 and at the same time the internal blades 21 of the rotor will act to force the fuel up through the axial passage 23 in the rotor, causing the rotor to be constantly supplied and saturated with the fuel. As the air flow passes around the rotating rotor it comes into contact with the fuel with which the rotor is saturated and carburetion takes place. The vanes or fins 1% not only cause the rotation of the rotor by being contacted with the air flow, but these fins serve as mixing or agitating blades, resulting in the formation of a highly combustible vapor or gas within the air passage or mixing chamber 10. Thus, since the produced vapor attained by the churning action attained through the action of the gasoline-saturated rotor is in the aspect of a fine mist or vapour, the structure described, by the reduction of droplets caused by spray action in conventional carburetors, will be found to be economical in the use of fuel, and will, under all conditions of use, produce a highly combustible fuel having little residue or waste.

While it has been herein suggested that the described device is particularly useful for use inconnection with internal combustion engines, it can have many other uses where the production of a highly combustible gas or vapour is desired. Also, while I have described the rotor as being in the form of a cylindrical rod, the same may be made in many other shapes, such as in the form of a flat rotating disk, a cylinder, cone, globe or other shape. The feature of the invention consists primarily in a rotated, fuel-impregnated element of highly hygroscopic material, and in the case of an internal combustion engine,

revolved by the employment of the suction created by the engine operation.

Having thus described a single embodiment of the invention, it is obvious that the same is not to be restricted thereto, but is broad enough to cover all structures coming within the scope of the annexed claims.

What I claim is:

1. In a carburetor, (l) a fuel chamber, (2) an air flow passage through which air is drawn by engine operation, (3) a rotatable liquid-absorbent element in the form of a rod composed of ceramic material extending between said fuel chamber and said air flow passage, said rod having a part disposed in the fuel chamber and submerged in the fuel contained therein and becoming saturated thereby, and also having a portion disposed in the path of air flow through said air flow. passage so that fuel vapor will be extracted from this portion of the element and become mixed with the air flow and resultantly form a combustible mixture, (4) means for feeding fuel to said liquidabsorbent element, and means provided on the portion of said liquid-absorbent element in the path of air flow whereby said element is rotated by air flowing past it.

2. A carburetor as provided for in claim 1 wherein said rotatable liquid-absorbent element is formed with a frustoconical end submerged in the liquid fuel, said end having internal and external blades.

3. A carburetor as provided for in claim 2 wherein said rotatable liquid-absorbent element has an enlarged head disposed in the air flow passage and said head is provided with peripherally projecting fins disposed in the path of the air flow through the air flow passage as said means whereby said element is rotated by air flowing past it.

4. In a carburetor, (1) a fuel chamber, (2) an air flow passage through which air is drawn by engine operation, (3) a rotatable hygroscopic rod composed of highly porous ceramic material extending between said fuel chamber and said air flow passage, said rod having a part Within said fuel chamber submerged in liquid fuel contained therein and a portion located within said air flow passage and in the path of air flow therein, and said rod being characterized by an axial passage extending therein and being open at the end of said rod within said fuel chamber, (4) fuel feeding elements carried by the part of said rod within said fuel chamber submerged in liquid fuel, the portion of said rod located within said air flow passage receiving a saturation of the fuel both by capillary attraction and by flow through said axial passage from said feeding elements upon said rod being rotated to cause a mixture of fuel vapor with the air drawn through said air flow passage, and (5) fins carried by the portion of said rod within said air flow passage whereby said rod is rotated by the air flow.

5. A carburetor as provided for in claim 4 wherein said fuel feeding elements comprise blades carried Within the axial passage in said rotatable hygroscopic rod substantially at the open end of said axial passage.

6. A carburetor as provided for in claim 4 wherein the axial passage in said rotatable hygroscopic rod extends into the portion of said rod within said air flow passage and said rod having an enlarged end closing the axial passage Within the air flow passage.

7. In a carburetor, (l) a fuel chamber, (2) an air flow passage through which a suctional air flow is exerted by engine operation, (3) a rotatable porous rod having (i) a flared end disposed in liquid fuel in said fuel chamber, (ii) an axial passage open at the end of the rod disposed in liquid fuel and extending into the rod, and (iii) an enlarged head on its end remote from the flared end, this head being disposed in the path of air flow in said air flow passage, (4) external blades on the flared end of said rod for the agitation of fuel in said fuel cham ber upon said rod being rotated, (5) internal blades on the flared end of said rod for forcing fuel into the axial passage therein upon said rod being rotated and thereby causing impregnation of the porous rod by liquid fuel, including impregnation of the enlarged head end of said rod, and (6) peripheral fins on the enlarged head end of said rod within said air flow passage whereby said rod is rotated by the air flow and the air and fuel mixture in said air flow passage is agitated.

7 References Cited by the Examiner V UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,035,492 8/12 Subert 261104 1,092,953 4/14 Sanborn 26l-91 1,150,115 8/15 Heinze 261-91XR 1,153,077 9/15 Hippel.

1,679,793 8/28 Smith et a1 261-91 1,761,136 6/30 Lord 26l--9-1 1,880,990 10/32 Smith 26 l91 2,766,027 10/56 Herr 26191 FOREIGN PATENTS 47,677 9/20 Sweden. 275,348 8/51 Switzerland.

HARRY B. THORNTON, Primary Examiner. RONALD WEAVER, Examiner. 

1. IN A CARBURETOR, (1) A FUEL CHAMBER, (2) AN AIR FLOW PASSAGE THROUGH WHICH AIR IS DRAWN BY ENGINE OPERATION, (3) A ROTATABLE LIQUID-ABSORBENT ELEMENT IN THE FORM OF A ROD COMPOSED OF CERMAIC MATERIAL EXTENDING BETWEEN SAID FUEL CHAMBER AND SAID AIR FLOW PASSAGE, SAID ROD HAVING A PART DISPOSED IN THE FUEL CHAMBER AND SUBMERGED IN THE FUEL CONTAINED THEREIN AND BECOMING SATURATED THEREBY, AND ALSO HAVING A PORTION DISPOSED IN THE PATH OF AIR FLOW THROUGH SAID AIR FLOW PASSAGE SO THAT FUEL VAPOR WILL BE EXTRACTED FROM THIS PORTION OF THE ELEMENT AND BECOME MIXED WITH THE AIR FLOW AND RESULTANTLY FORM A COMBUSTIBLE MIXTURE, (4) MEANS FOR FEEDING FUEL TO SAID LIQUID-- 